Fashioned articles of amber



pieces.

Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES OTTO HEINRICH, OF POTSDAM, GERMANY.

FASHIONED ARTICLES 01 AMBER.

No Drawing. Application filed January 9, 1928, Serial No. 245,623, and in Germany March 20, 1926.

In the manufacture of large sized fashioned articles, goods or bodies of amber it is necessary to'combine a great number of small pieces since amber is mostly found in small Hitherto such a consolidation of pieces of amber has been effected by a pressure and heat treatment having however the disadvantage of destroying the natural structure of the amber reducing thereby the attractive natural appearance of the articles or bodies to be made and consequently the possibilities of general application.

According to the present invention the said disadvantage is avoided by first uniting small pieces of amber, especially Waste pieces of amber by means of a binding material and then grinding the body obtained. Proceeding in this way the natural structure of the individual pieces is retained and brought into effect giving the finished article or body a most pleasant appearance.

In manufacturing the new article I proceed in such a way that the pieces of amber are first putupon a plate or sheet of metal, wood, paper or the like forming the support, and then united by a binding material. After solidification of the latter a mechanical treatment. such as grinding, milling, polishing; and so on. is given to the coherent body in order to obtain the surface showing the natural structure of amber. In this Way many articles of different shape can be made with plane or curved surfaces, such as trays, tablets, lamp-stands, vessels, vases, cases, in lays for furniture, facing-plates, and in such sizes which cannot be obtained from pieces of natural amber or at least at relative high costs only.

All materials which easily solidify and become suiiiciently hard, for instance a mixture of glue and chalk, cement, plaster of Paris, artificial resin or the like, as Well as easily fusible metals may be used for binding purposes. In order to improve the appearance of the finished article the binding material may be tinted for instance light-proof aniline colours may be added if plaster of Paris is used as binding material.

An exceedingly effective contrast betweenv the pieces of amber and the solidified binding material can be obtained by lining the underside of the pieces partly or wholly with leaf-metal, for example leaf-gold or silver. After grinding or polishing the surface of the finished article the lustrous lining shines through the pieces and gives to the pieces of amber a metallic brilliancy. Instead of the metallic lining a colour coating can be applied to the underside of the pieces of amber. Especially for the manufacture of articles of plate-shape it will be advi able to take pieces of amber of about equal size and distribute them as uniformly as possible. Of course, pieces of amber of about equal size may be combined to form designs by means of a supporting or base of paper provided with the pattern in question.

The supporting plate or sheet can be removed after the hardening of the binding material or may remain in place.

I claim:

1. Fashioned articles consisting of small pieces of amber, an intervening' cement connecting the pieces side by side and lightreflecting under lining. the outer face finished to a uniform smooth surface.

2. Fashioned articles, cons 'ng of small pieces of amber, a tinted cement connecting the pieces side by side, a metallic reflecting underlay, the whole having an exposed uni form polished face.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 have signed my name.

OTTO HEINRICH. 

